Beer Guide 2015: Occidental Brewing

By KAT MERCK

Occidental Brewing

6635 N Baltimore Ave., 719-7102, occidentalbrewing.com. 4-8 pm Wednesday-Thursday, 3-8 pm Friday, noon-8 pm Saturday, noon-6 pm Sunday.

[WILLKOMMEN] Occidental offers Hoplandia something truly refreshing: crisp, sparkling German-style suds. Hefeweizen, kolsch, altbier, dunkel…it's enough to make you want to throw on a pair of lederhosen over your Pendleton flannel. Occidental's technically proficient brews are widely available in restaurants and grocery stores throughout the city, but it's worth a visit to the unpretentious, industrial-chic taproom by the St. Johns Bridge. It offers little in the way of amenities aside from brewmaster Dan Engler's awe-inspiring collection of antique beer cans and bottle caps, but you're here for the beer. Grab a sixer or a growler to go, order a takeout lunch from Cathedral Park Restaurant next door, and head down the road for the most picturesque picnic spot in the city, directly under the soaring bridge's gothic arches.

DRINK THIS: If you like wheat beer—heck, even if you hate it—you must try the sweet, banana- and clove-scented hefeweizen.

WWeek 2015

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